Rakuten Monkeys Deploy Heavily Right-Handed Lineup to Break Through; Yu Te-Lung Surprised to Bat Leadoff

The Rakuten Monkeys of the Chinese Professional Baseball League today deployed an extreme lineup, with the first seven batters all being right-handed, in an effort to break through against Cristopher Mercedes. Yu Te-Lung not only returned to the starting lineup after a long time but also took the leadoff spot. Upon hearing the news, he joked, 'Is it raining? How is that possible?' The weather at Tianmu Baseball Stadium was sunny today, but the Monkeys used a 'right-leaning' lineup to counter the Wei Chuan Dragons' left-handed pitcher, Cristopher Mercedes. Manager Tseng Hao-Chu said, 'We just want to break through. Let's all work hard together.' Although the team's scoring ability has been low since the beginning of the season, 'there have been solidly hit balls and base hits, but the crucial hit has been lacking. We need to focus on the quality of contact first to get good results.' Left-handed batter Chen Chen-Wei was on the bench today, missing the starting lineup for the first time this season. Tseng Hao-Chu explained that Chen was experiencing some fatigue and his stats were declining, so he was given a rest. Yu Te-Lung started at leadoff and shortstop today. When asked if he remembered the last time he batted first, Yu laughed and said, 'What year was that?' It was actually for one game in 2021, but before that, you'd have to go back to 2017. Yu also noted that he hasn't had many opportunities to play this year and was surprised just to be told by the coach that he was in the starting lineup. 'And batting first? But it's okay.' Tseng Hao-Chu stated that this year, veteran players like Lin Hung-Yu, Lin Chih-Ping, and Yu Te-Lung have all helped with passing on experience to the team. Their playing time will be managed carefully, monitoring their physical recovery. When they are in good condition, they will also be scheduled for consecutive games. Yu Te-Lung also said that he often reminds younger players about concepts, wind direction, and sun changes from the dugout. When he starts, he does his best to perform, and when he's not starting, he helps with batting practice 'to maintain my feel for the bat and not let myself get too relaxed.'